Frankie “The Answer” Edgar fights like a fighting spinning top—he could even give the Warner Brothers’ Looney Tunes cartoon character Taz a run, or spin, for his money. And at the center of this whirling dervish is a heart that steadfastly beats and powers him to prevail against all odds and pains.
He’s given us fight fans a memorable run from his 11-1 streak prior to winning the UFC lightweight championship belt; to winning and defending it against the legendary B.J. “The Prodigy” Penn; then successfully defending it twice against the only man who had beaten him then, Gray “The Bully” Maynard; and finally losing it in a true-grit battle to Ben “Smooth” Henderson Saturday night.
Edgar has consistently proven indomitable courage and the unearthly endurance in sustaining a nonstop pace for five straight, five-minute rounds. He’s always on the move, on his feet or on the ground.
Standing, he’s almost untouchable with his deft and irrepressible lateral movements, while peppering his opponent with punches.
On the ground, he has this uncanny ability to wiggle out of submission holds.
For the elite wrestler that he still is, he can take down an opponent at will most of the time.
And, who wouldn’t be impressed by his technical and tactical savvy? That he caught Bendo’s kicks most of the time, then held his leg while throwing counter-leg kicks or punches, was truly masterful.
He is unstoppable like the Energizer Bunny but, for the second time in his fighting career, he’s proven himself conquerable—and that he could be hit and hurt real bad.
The man who had beaten him then fought him to a draw (Maynard) was considerably bigger than him. Worse and more threatening for Edgar, Henderson was and is way much bigger than him and Maynard. The advantages in size, weight, and power of elite opponents have been barely bearable for Little Frankie.
Twice, in two consecutive title defenses, had Maynard bullied him to the brink of defeat with power punches. Subsequently, just last night Bendo bloodied him all the way to dethroning him, with that sick up-kick most significantly devastating.
Still, it can’t be denied that the now-former champ kept rising from an imminent defeat-via-finish every time, Lazarus-like, and kept sucking it up with his last ounce of strength and fortitude.
He has also proved he could sneak in a power punch himself. One KO’d Maynard in their third encounter, the other one put Bendo on his butt and momentarily stunned the erstwhile challenger.
The problem lies in that Edgar seems able to land a power punch for only every 100 “baby” punches. Yup, it could be a mere 1-to-100 ratio, recording only three KO wins in his 14-2-1 record. (That’s below 10 percent of his won fights.)
I’ve written an article a year ago, right after Edgar’s rematch and first title defense versus Maynard, that he was (and still is) MMA’s version of former boxing’s world bantamweight champion Paulie Ayala, who recorded 35-3 with 12 wins by KO (that is a pretty low KO percentage, boxing-wise):
Paulie Ayala, like Frankie Edgar, was renowned for his gameness, courageously attacking and perpetually moving against his opponents. They also share the same shortcoming: the lack of sting in their punches.
Ayala recorded a low knockout percentage in his boxing career, so it was no surprise when he won both of his world titles by decision. Likewise, Edgar won his UFC title and successfully defended it twice, all by decision (two wins and one draw).
In order to truly appreciate and get excited over fighters in the mold of Edgar and Ayala, it is necessary to possess these two characteristics: patience and sophistication. They may not always stop their opponents, but you can be sure they’ll give a helluva fight and win.
Besides, love him or hate him, Edgar is still the UFC lightweight champion, and he’s here to stay.
Well, he’s still here to stay, but now not as UFC champion.
Maybe he’ll always be our version of Paulie Ayala and never a Manny Pacquiao—except in heart. Heck, even Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is blessed with KO power.
Perhaps a move down to featherweight can really help Edgar improve his striking and finishing power, relative to his future opponents’.
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